I have a class debate and I would very much appreciate it if you could give me some ideas. The topic is should administering medication's legally and ethically fall within the medical assistants scope of practice?

Andrea-Looks like you didn't get any feedback on this topic. Has the debate been held yet and what was the outcome,the pros and cons? I say Yes,since this would make a medical assistant capable of working in a hospital. But as the last poster wrote,most hospitals will not hire them,even though they all act like they have a shortage of nursing help. As long as that continues,MAs will be out of work all over.

m. g. in Fort Worth, Texas said: i am medical assistant bur need to get certified
do you know where i can get certified

Yes, all you need to do is to go online and look up The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and scroll down until you see - How to become a CMA.This site will give you information about how and where to go for testing in your area. Good luck!

LC in Cleveland, Ohio said: Andrea-Looks like you didn't get any feedback on this topic. Has the debate been held yet and what was the outcome,the pros and cons? I say Yes,since this would make a medical assistant capable of working in a hospital. But as the last poster wrote,most hospitals will not hire them,even though they all act like they have a shortage of nursing help. As long as that continues,MAs will be out of work all over.

I feel that until Medical Assistants are looked upon like medical help (such as LPN'S) - we will not be taken seriously. We get as much training as other medical support staff, but we do not get the recognition for our medical knowledge. Why can't we sit for a National Nursing Board Exam? We can do all the work as most others.

Andrea in Denver, Colorado said: I have a class debate and I would very much appreciate it if you could give me some ideas. The topic is should administering medication's legally and ethically fall within the medical assistants scope of practice?

HI ANDREA IM FROM CHICAGO ILLINOIS I GO TO WESTWOOD COLLEGE FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANT AND WE HAVE A DEBATE MONDAY AND THE QUESTION IS "SHOULD ADMINISTERING MEDICATIONS LEGALLY AND ETHICALLY FALL WITHIN THE MEDICAL ASSISTANTS SCOPE OF PRACTICE?
I NOTICED YOU HAVE THE SAME DEBATE BUT I CANT FIND ANY RESEARCH HAVE YOU FOUND SOME??? IF YOU HAVE CAN U HELP ME FIND RESEARCH FOR THIS DEBATE???? I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT. MY NAME IS ALEJANDRA AND ITS DUE MONDAY. THANKS. HERE IS MY E-MAIL TRAVIESAFRESITA@HOTMAIL.COM

I have been out for school of MA since dec 2007 had a 160 hr externship and I have applied ever where here in CT and gone on interviews and they all say the same thing I dont have enough experience and at my school career dept says to apply for medical office If I wanted that kind of job I would have gone toschool for that

I am very depressed that I cant find a job I know I can do this job being a MA I just need to be given a chance

I feel you there, because the same things happening to me on the subject. We have complete the field, but not enough experiences they say.Ifd we completed the field why want they give us a chance to do what we know to do.

I feel you there, because the same things happening to me on the subject. We have complete the field, but not enough experiences they say.I feel we have completed the field, why don't they give us a chance to do what we know how to do in the MA field.

I understand the pressure you feel about not finding a job in your position. I don't understand why they don't give us a chance to get the experience they want you to get. I like to see them with more opportunity for the MA's and give them a chance to succeed in what they work so hard in doing.

Nekitia, A lot of us are adding to the unemployment. I believe the Technical colleges do better with helping find jobs. these side schools on T.V. or in agreement with Sallie Mae loans to get us in so they get paid.Besides technical schools is have that price. The government need to close these fake schools. Because they are taking are money. We ain't making crap!

I am attending a college here for MA and they find the internship who usually hires you. What I would suggest is go thru the phone book and start calling, medical offices. They are out there you just have to look. Here in Oregon alot of MA didnt even have any schooling they were trained on the job

Lavette in Atlanta, Georgia said: Nekitia, A lot of us are adding to the unemployment. I believe the Technical colleges do better with helping find jobs. these side schools on T.V. or in agreement with Sallie Mae loans to get us in so they get paid.Besides technical schools is have that price. The government need to close these fake schools. Because they are taking are money. We ain't making crap!

you are ever so right I just recevied my diploma from this school here and I have til yet to find a job and career services tell me to go do home health aide I didn't give them 13,000.00 for some home health aide don't get me wrong I am not talking bad about it but that is not what I went to school for

I went to this school here in Jacksonville and I have till yet to get a job it is so crazy because i even tried a temp agency and I have to be certified first and they didn't tell us about we needed that until we was aalmost out of class and we got to pay for it out of our pockets

lucy in Broomfield, Colorado said: I feel that until Medical Assistants are looked upon like medical help (such as LPN'S) - we will not be taken seriously. We get as much training as other medical support staff, but we do not get the recognition for our medical knowledge. Why can't we sit for a National Nursing Board Exam? We can do all the work as most others.

I realize this post was from 5 months ago, but I still needed to comment. CMAs cannot sit the NCLEX because they have NOT BEEN TRAINED AS NURSES. CMAs may be able to perform some of the tasks of nurses, but they do not learn many skills that make nurses licensed professionals, such as patient assessment, nursing diagnosis, and care plan formulation and implementation.

I'm not implying that CMAs are in any way incompetent; their knowledge should be recognized. But, the depth of training in a medical assistant program and in nursing school is VERY different. Just ask and MA who has become a nurse. The jobs are really very different.

ALEJANDRA in Denver, Colorado said: HI ANDREA IM FROM CHICAGO ILLINOIS I GO TO WESTWOOD COLLEGE FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANT AND WE HAVE A DEBATE MONDAY AND THE QUESTION IS "SHOULD ADMINISTERING MEDICATIONS LEGALLY AND ETHICALLY FALL WITHIN THE MEDICAL ASSISTANTS SCOPE OF PRACTICE?
I NOTICED YOU HAVE THE SAME DEBATE BUT I CANT FIND ANY RESEARCH HAVE YOU FOUND SOME??? IF YOU HAVE CAN U HELP ME FIND RESEARCH FOR THIS DEBATE???? I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT. MY NAME IS ALEJANDRA AND ITS DUE MONDAY. THANKS. HERE IS MY E-MAIL TRAVIESAFRESITA@HOTMAIL.COM

HI ALEJANDRA.
I 'M FROM CHICAGO, AND I' M GOING TO START MEDICAL ASSISTING PROGRAM. I'M LOOKING FOR A COLLEGE CLOSE TO ME. CAN YOU TELL ME IF THE PROGRAM IS VERY DIFFICULT? I'M FROM POLAND AND ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE. WAS THE PROGRAM EXPENSIVE, AND HOW MANY MONTHS DOES IT TAKE TO FINISH?
PLEASE LET ME KNOW. MY EMAIL IS ANETAP2000@YAHOO.COM
THANKS

ceetee in Jacksonville Beach, Florida said: I went to this school here in Jacksonville and I have till yet to get a job it is so crazy because i even tried a temp agency and I have to be certified first and they didn't tell us about we needed that until we was aalmost out of class and we got to pay for it out of our pockets

yes you do have to pay out of your pocket, but most refund your money back
talk to your school, they should have info or contact the NCCT your self. Natioonal
Center for Competency Test. 1-800-875-4404 www.ncctinc.com hope this helps
las

I am in a very reputable school at that moment for MA, and will be taking the certifications after completion, and now I am starting to regret taking this course. I have talked to people that have graduated in this field within the past two years and are yet to find a job. These are people who made the deans list each quarter as well.

I fear, that after I do my 160 hours externship, I will not be able to find employment as well. I keep searching the jobs here in Mich, and they want at least two years experience.

I just recently went to my Dr.s and while I was there I asked the CMA that works for my physician how much she makes and she has been there for 8 years now and only makes 12.00 per hr.

It's a scary thought, going to school everyday with the gas prices such as they are, spending 12,000 on a course and then not gaining employment afterwards?

I'm actually considering dropping after this 1/4 is through in a few weeks.
Good luck to the rest of you.

ALEJANDRA in Denver, Colorado said: HI ANDREA IM FROM CHICAGO ILLINOIS I GO TO WESTWOOD COLLEGE FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANT AND WE HAVE A DEBATE MONDAY AND THE QUESTION IS "SHOULD ADMINISTERING MEDICATIONS LEGALLY AND ETHICALLY FALL WITHIN THE MEDICAL ASSISTANTS SCOPE OF PRACTICE?
I NOTICED YOU HAVE THE SAME DEBATE BUT I CANT FIND ANY RESEARCH HAVE YOU FOUND SOME??? IF YOU HAVE CAN U HELP ME FIND RESEARCH FOR THIS DEBATE???? I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT. MY NAME IS ALEJANDRA AND ITS DUE MONDAY. THANKS. HERE IS MY E-MAIL TRAVIESAFRESITA@HOTMAIL.COM

Hi Alejandra, I also attend Westwood College here in Midtown, Atlanta and this is a class discussion that will be held on Tuesday in Class and I were just wondering did you ever get your answer. Please email me at bdmoody62@yahoo.com with your comment.
Thanks alot. Respectfully, Brenda

Pam in Jacksonville, Oregon said: I am attending a college here for MA and they find the internship who usually hires you. What I would suggest is go thru the phone book and start calling, medical offices. They are out there you just have to look. Here in Oregon alot of MA didnt even have any schooling they were trained on the job

This is very interesting. I have not seen ONE job posting in Oregon that does not require completion of an accredited Medical Office Assisting course and certification through the AAMA.

Undecided in Eugene, Oregon said: This is very interesting. I have not seen ONE job posting in Oregon that does not require completion of an accredited Medical Office Assisting course and certification through the AAMA.

Well they are out there you have to look where I work at very few have had medical assiant schooling. I also had to interview a MA before I was accepted in program, I interview a lady who worked at a dermatology office she was trained on the job with no medical assistant training.

pls134 in Medford, Oregon said: Well they are out there you have to look where I work at very few have had medical assiant schooling. I also had to interview a MA before I was accepted in program, I interview a lady who worked at a dermatology office she was trained on the job with no medical assistant training.

Well, then I wouldn't say "a lot of MAs were trained on the job" in Oregon. That seems to be the exception, not the rule. Jobs I have been researching have been through Oregon Medical Group and Peace Health Medical Group and they do not hire unqualified persons.

Undecided in Eugene, Oregon said: This is very interesting. I have not seen ONE job posting in Oregon that does not require completion of an accredited Medical Office Assisting course and certification through the AAMA.

Really that is the key...I have been a CMA for 10 years and graduated from a AAMA accredited school. It is very frustrating to me that there are so many "MA programs" out there. It can be very confusing to someone coming into this field. Success lies in educating yourself about the program you wish to invest in. I paid a total of 3,000 dollars for my program, pass my board the first time, and got hired at my internship site. Be very careful with online programs and check their board passing rate. BTW, MAs are not nurses, we are MAs. If I want to be a nurse then I would go to school to be a nurse.

Jennifer in Sanford, North Carolina said: Really that is the key...I have been a CMA for 10 years and graduated from a AAMA accredited school. It is very frustrating to me that there are so many "MA programs" out there. It can be very confusing to someone coming into this field. Success lies in educating yourself about the program you wish to invest in. I paid a total of 3,000 dollars for my program, pass my board the first time, and got hired at my internship site. Be very careful with online programs and check their board passing rate. BTW, MAs are not nurses, we are MAs. If I want to be a nurse then I would go to school to be a nurse.

I agree. If medical assistanteducation was unified and certification was REQUIRED everywhere, then it would elevate the professionalism of the whole field.

From my understanding about finding medical assistant jobs and from knowing numerous relatives and friends, it's hard to get a job in that field because theses institutions like Georgia Medical Institute,Everest Institute and other b s schools that ask for 10,000 for a medical assistant program, these people never get a job when they graduate because these schools are not certified. First of all everybody I know that go to these schools graduate with honors (red flag) which i know for sure that some didnt finish high school and for the one's that did they didnt have a 90+ average in high school. Jobs look at this so these schools are known to have a bad reputation, besides some of those type of schools dont require you to have a high school diploma so think do a job really want to depend on them to know what they are doing.

Also i wanted to say that they should close these type of fake schols down because for one they are scamming people out of their money, for two the program only last for about eight months and they dont have all the classes required to take in order to know what to do in the field when regular schools require you to take at least a year or more worth of class. So all I can say is attend a technical college not institute which will give you the classes,time,board testing,and job placement needed and will cost no more than $4,500 for the program. So good luck to everybody trying.

You are ever so right I went to a school like that and now I have like $15,000.00 to pay out in student loans and they are already calling me now for there money and I haven't got a job yet I have a CNA license and still I don't have a job I just work as needed for a staffing agency I might get 2 or 3 days on the pay roll every other 2 weeks. So as for me I will not ever go this route again.

Our clinic is looking for a good MA. Our problem has been with the younger MA's that have skills but do not understand how to work. in other words, their work ethics, morals and attitudes stink. We will gladly give someone a chance, but we prefer someone older that want to gain some experience on the job. They can contact me at jajesuppor@aol.com

Dana Scully in Eugene, Oregon said: I realize this post was from 5 months ago, but I still needed to comment. CMAs cannot sit the NCLEX because they have NOT BEEN TRAINED AS NURSES. CMAs may be able to perform some of the tasks of nurses, but they do not learn many skills that make nurses licensed professionals, such as patient assessment, nursing diagnosis, and care plan formulation and implementation.

I'm not implying that CMAs are in any way incompetent; their knowledge should be recognized. But, the depth of training in a medical assistant program and in nursing school is VERY different. Just ask and MA who has become a nurse. The jobs are really very different.

I received an associates degree (2 year degree) as a RMA and practiced as such for 10 years both in the clinical and administrative setting. I thought I was equal and competent to a nurse and wanted to hold a nurse title... I was wrong. I went back to school and graduated with an associates degree as a Registered Nurse and have been practicing as such since then. There is a big difference, especially in the education and training. MA's function under a physician's license. RN's function under their own license. MA's are trained to work within a physician's office and/or outpatient setting. RN's are trained for inpatient, hospital settings. RN's are licensed healthcare providers. They cannot function as a RN without a license. MA's are not licensed healthcare providers. They have a choice of being certified or registered.
Both service a purpose in the medical field, but the training and experience is totally different.
From what I have researched, MA's are trained mainly to function clerically within an office. Some programs do a great job with training in the clinical setting, but seems dependent on the school and the externship that the MA student chooses.

Jeri Monroe in Detroit, Michigan said: Our clinic is looking for a good MA. Our problem has been with the younger MA's that have skills but do not understand how to work. in other words, their work ethics, morals and attitudes stink. We will gladly give someone a chance, but we prefer someone older that want to gain some experience on the job. They can contact me at jajesuppor@aol.com

I agree with you. I currently have 5 MA's working for a practice I manage. They have anywhere from 2 t 12 years of "work experience". They arrive to work late. Have to be told more than once what to do and how to do it. They do not seem to possess good critical thinking skills. For example:
We recently had a pt who was having a MI after his doctor's appt and was sitting in the lobby. The MA at the desk (12 years of work experience) did not know how to call 911. 2 clinical MA's put their coats on to go to lunch and walked past this pt who was with a nurse and physician, not bothering to offer assistance.
The second pt c/o chest pain. The MA did not alert the physician, get a full set of vitals, do an EKG, ect. The physician walked into the room 20 minutes later and saw the subjective complaint the MA had written "Chest pain. 9/10 pain. mid-chest". The pt had a dissecting aorta and survived.
3 MA's are contingent and asking for full-time positions... with the work ethics and training as above.
I would gladly hire a MA anyday (having previously been a MA for 10 years prior to getting my RN degree), but I need those who are willing to work.

Wow! That really stinks that so many MAs perform so poorly once on the job! I am currently in school for MA and I will graduate in June with an associates degree. I have put my all into my education and have always wanted to work in the medical field, but now, I am starting to feel like I should have just gone into nursing and not wasted my time doing the MA program! I read so many posts about how it's so hard to find a job as an MA, even though the schools would have you believe that they are in such high demand! And then when you do see posts about MAs on the job, it seems like they slack off and don't really take their job seriously! I just hope I am given a chance when I graduate, becaue I really am serious about my career.

Celestial: I have worked with some great MA's. It took me 9 months and 90 interviews to find one who was seriously interested in quality patient care and good outcomes, but she is awesome! If you apply yourself and are serious about your career choice, you will make a great MA. Finish the MA, work within the field and go back and get your RN degree. Its easier going thru RN school when you have a medical background already. Some advice: when you do your externship, pick an urgent care if you can. Very beneficial if you plan on working clinical and not clerical! Good luck and best wishes!